Last Class

As you can see from the photos in yesterday's post, I took Nadia out in the snow yesterday. We got about 5 inches of wet snow, so it was hard for her to walk in it. I brought up some of our Christmas decorations, and she had a lot of fun pushing the button on a snow globe so that she could hear the music and watch the snow spin around the snowmen. I also gave her the window clings that I had purchased after Christmas last year. She had fun taking them off the windows, but she didn't seem to grasp the concept of putting them back up on the windows or sliding glass door. I guess she's still too young to really enjoy them. I'll put them away and save them for next year. On his way home from delivering his thesis, Paul stopped at Walmart and bought Nadia a sled. By the time he got home, it was raining outside. Maybe she'll get to take a ride in the sled today. She won't be going down any hills, but we think she'll have fun if Daddy pulls her around the yard in the sled. It was my mom's idea. :-)

I didn't go to choir last night because Paul was concerned about the roads freezing over since it was raining. Hopefully the roads will be fine this morning when I take Nadia to her 18 month doctor's appointment. Tonight is my last night of class for the semester, and if Ian waits until at least January 8th to be born, it will be my last night of teaching for 3 months!

Snowfall #2

Yesterday the snow that had covered our grass since Saturday disappeared; however I knew if the weather forecasts were accurate, that would be a temporary situation. Snow/ice was supposed to start coming down again at 7pm last night. I was praying the roads would be fine on my way home from school as usually the earliest I get home is 8pm. In light of having many contractions while teaching last night (let me add that it is REALLY hard to teach when you're having a painful contraction) and the forecast, I let my students out a little bit earlier than usual. Thankfully I got home before the snow started to fall. When I looked out the window this morning, I saw the grass and also the roads this time were covered with snow. The MOPS group that I joined in September was supposed to have their December meeting this morning, but I am sure it is cancelled as the school district it's located in has a two hour delay this morning. In light of the contractions, I wasn't planning on going anyhow. I assume the roads will be fine before it's time for me to head to choir rehearsal this evening. That will likely be the only time I leave the house today. Our fence installation is supposed to begin today. I doubt they're very happy about the snow! I wouldn't mind if she wanted to wait until it melted. I just wanted to have the fence installed prior to next spring/summer, and we got a little discount for doing it in the off-season (not that it still didn't cost way more than I expected it would).
If even my 9lb niece wore newborn size onesies at first, then I definitely think I should get a pack of those. I learned from Nadia not to get the ones made by Gerber. Many of them ripped the first time she wore them! I'll first look through the drawer to make sure I don't have any gender neutral ones from Nadia. As of today our Christmas pictures are ready for pick-up from Sears, and I have a $10 off a $10 or more purchase coupon for JcP that I plan to use when I pick up the pictures to buy Ian a going home outfit. Nadia didn't wear what I thought would be her going home outfit (a shower gift) since it was way too big on her so we shall see what Ian actually ends up wearing home from the hospital. I am packing very little for myself for the hospital as I learned last time that I used their supplies and lived in their gown and robe until I was discharged. Since baby clothing doesn't take up too much room, I'll probably bring more than might be necessary for Ian in case we take more pictures than we did last time. I know that usually you take fewer photos of the second child, but if he avoids the NICU, I imagine more will be taken of him the first 3 days. I didn't meet Nadia until 3 hours after she was born, and then they kept her away from me about 11 hours after that (which didn't please me) and then she went straight to the NICU. All of this led to not as many pictures being taken as I had planned.

As for the to snip or not debate, I had done some research prior to posting my question. I think that the "locker room" factor is probably not going to be the issue that it has been in the past. In Canada the rate of circumcision fell to less than 10% in 2005. In the US it's fallen to less than 60% nationally whereas it used to be as high as 85%. Interestingly, it varies quite a bit by region. For example, in 2006 in the western region of the US the rate was only 33.8% whereas it has continued to stay around 80% in the midwest region. The cleanliness factor seems to really only be a factor for the first 6 months (or some say one year) of life. It seems that's the only medical benefit that still has been proven true - circumcised infant males have fewer UTI's in the first 6 months (or possibly 1 year of life) than uncircumcised infant males. However, considering that the rate of UTI's is about 6 times more for infant girls (compared to uncircumcised boys), that doesn't seem like a compelling argument. The articles I've read also seemed to disprove the theories that circumcision reduces the risk of STD's for the man or cervical cancer for his wife. The only other medical benefit that it seems has proven to be true is a really rare form of male cancer that is slightly less common among those who have been circumcised (they say that 600-900 circumcisions would prevent one case of this form of cancer). I'm still not 100% certain what to do. Nadia has her 18 month doctor appointment tomorrow, and I'm going to ask her pediatrician for her opinion. I am also going to read all the comments that were posted on the blog to Paul, and hopefully in the end he'll make the decision as I feel as a woman it's hard for me to make this decision. I guess my reasons for hesitating are #1 I don't think the "locker room" factor is going to be an issue in the future given not "everybody" is being circumcised these days and #2 I haven't been convinced of the medical benefits. However, I am also not opposed to having it done. Hopefully Paul will have a stronger opinion one way or the other as we do need to make a decision!

I am very happy that I've made it to the 34 week mark! I slept better last night although I was still awakened a few times due to really painful contractions. That never happened to me when I was pregnant with Nadia. Everyone says to try to get as much sleep as you can before the baby arrives, but do they realize how hard it is to sleep in the later stages of pregnancy? First of all, I pee five million times a night during the whole pregnancy (seriously I go at least 10 times during the night). Secondly, I have the hip pain. The "nest" (pregnancy body pillow) helps a lot with this, but the pain level still increases over the hours of the night. Third, lying down is not great for heartburn (even though I take an acid reducer every 12 hours and try to prop my head up more than usual). This morning I got up an hour before Nadia (which almost never happens) because my stomach was growling at 5:30am. Even with these interruptions to my sleep, I do realize I'm getting a lot more sleep now than I will when Ian arrives. Even though I'm dreading the sleep deprivation, I can't wait to meet the little guy!!! I do hope though that he'll wait at least 9 more days to be born.

Advice Appreciated

Although I hope Ian isn't born for a few more weeks, I have been trying to prepare in case he comes earlier than expected. Last night I didn't get much sleep because the contractions were so strong they kept waking me up all throughout the night. A few days ago I washed his crib sheets and the few 0-3 month clothes that I have purchased for him (one outfit, ten short sleeved onesies, and two pairs of knit pants). I don't own any newborn or preemie size clothing for a boy. Hopefully he'll start out in 0-3 month although it took Nadia a few months to grow into that size. Yesterday I started packing a suitcase. I have a to do list prepared for Paul of various tasks I'd like him to accomplish in the next couple of weeks. Some won't take but a few minutes, such as hanging Ian's clock in his room and installing the infant car seat bases in our cars, and others will take longer, such as painting Ian's room. I plan to show him the list after he finishes his thesis, and the deadline for that is today. What a relief it will be when his Master's degree is finally behind us! I feel badly for his advisor as Paul's not giving him much time AT ALL to read the final draft. I have four questions for you, my blog readers. I'd appreciate any advice you might be able to give regarding any of the questions!

1. I feel confident as to what to pack for myself this time around. I am unsure what to pack for Ian though presuming he doesn't end up in the NICU. Nadia was under the lights for jaundice so she wasn't wearing clothing during most of her stay in the hospital. If Ian doesn't have jaundice, what should I pack for him aside from the "going home outfit?" Should I pack a few onesies and sleepers and outfits for the other days we'll be there? I want him to look cute for the photos we'll surely take! I know the hospital will provide diapers.

2. What is the best arrangement for the car seats in the back seat with an 18 month old and newborn? We have always had Nadia in the center since that's the safest place. I am thinking about whether is she going to poke her brother - so maybe I should have one on each side of the back seat, or if we put one car seat in the middle, should it be Nadia's or Ian's? I figure whomever is in the middle is the one who will be put in the carseat first. I am sure some of you have "been there and done that" so I welcome your advice as to what will probably work out best for us.

3. I know that it's not automatic these days to have a baby boy circumcised. I have read the pros and cons of each side of that issue and am still not sure what we should do. I was hoping to leave that decision up to Paul, but I don't get the impression he wants to make the decision on his own. So, if you have any advice on whether to snip or not, I'd appreciate that also.

Christmas Clothes

Christmas is by far my favorite holiday. I love Christmas music, Christmas decorations, getting together with family, celebrating the birth of our Savior, wearing Christmas clothes, etc. I have to admit that I like Christmas music so much that there have been a few CD's (like M.W. Smith's) that some years I have listened to them year round. I can't wear my Christmas vests and sweaters this year, but I have worn my Christmas earrings. I purchased several Christmas dresses for Nadia. Some I got on the clearance racks many months ago, and a couple of them I bought at yard sales this summer. The dress she wore yesterday is size 2T. I can't believe she can wear that size already! I love the hat that came with the dress. Isn't she SOOO cute? In light of the snow on Saturday we had her wear her snowman pjs that night. I took the pictures yesterday morning of her in the blue chair because it was the first day that she climbed up into this chair all by herself - such a big girl! This pair of pjs is one that Ian can also wear someday, and I paid less than $2 for it. :-)

I was going to try another MOPS group that is closer to home, which just started a few months ago, this morning. However I think it's best I just stay home until it's time to go to school this afternoon. This is the last week of classes, and I really would like to be able to teach tonight, Tuesday night, and Thursday night. I stayed at home all day on Thursday and Friday. On Saturday we went to Walmart. I was fine while we ate lunch and while I got my haircut, but once I started walking around the store, the contractions started up again. Yesterday I went to church in the morning. I sat on the front pew and waited until right before the choir sang to go up into the choir loft so that I could sit through all the congregational singing. Yesterday evening I went to CVS and the grocery store. I figured it was better to do it while Paul was home so that I didn't need to bring Nadia (and lift her in and out of the cart). Well even that proved to be too much. The contractions were so bad that I went to bed before 8pm. I think I need to stay off my feet as much as possible or Ian is going to be coming. I guess that means Paul is going to need to start doing our grocery shopping? I am hoping Ian won't be born until early January, but at the very minimum I hope he waits another 11 days so that I can wrap up the fall semester before he arrives.

Wednesday and Thursday I had all good blood sugar levels, but unforunately that hasn't been the case the last few days. Friday I did fine until the reading after dinner. I had this dish that Nadia and I both like that contains 1 egg, 1 can of creamed corn, and 3/4 cup of flour. I won't eat that again until after I give birth. Saturday my readings were fine except for after lunch at McD's where I had a fish filet, water, and some of the fries from Nadia's happy meal. Yesterday I had two high readings. Ugh. Hopefully I can get back on track today.

Winter Wonderland

We had our first snow this winter. We got about three inches. It was what I consider to be the perfect kind of snow as it covered the grass and trees but not the roads. It's still very gorgeous out there this morning!  That time she wasn't really aware of the snow. I did have gloves on her at some point while she was outside yesterday, but the reason she started out without gloves was because I wanted her to be able to experience what snow feels like. She got to make use of her first pair of snow pants and snow boots for the first time; my mom got her those while we were in MD last month. After church and her afternoon nap, I plan to take her outside to enjoy the snow again.

We did buy a tree at Walmart yesterday, but it hasn't been taken out of the box yet. Paul was working on his thesis last night, and that definitely is more important than our Christmas tree. We went to Walmart at lunch time and started our shopping trip by eating lunch at the McD's inside the store. Nadia usually eats about half of the hamburger that comes with the happy meal, but yesterday she ate the ENTIRE hamburger for the first time ever. Now that she drinks her milk cold (she's been doing that for a couple of weeks), she was able to drink the milk that came with her happy meal in sippy cup I had brought with us. After lunch, I got my hair cut while Nadia & Paul started buying the things on the list I had made. Nadia was a good girl for her Daddy; she enjoyed zipping and unzipping his hoodie while sitting in the cart.

The last few days I've been wrapping presents. I am happy to say that everything that has already arrived at our house (some purchases I made online haven't come yet) has been wrapped. I put them on the dining room table as I figure even once our tree is up, it won't be safe to put them under the tree this year. I am also happy to say that last night I finished my Christmas shopping. YAY! I do a lot of it online. I also have finished the envelopes for the Christmas letter. I plan to get them out in the mail this week. Progress!

O Christmas Tree

Since Paul & I have been married we've always gotten a real tree for Christmas. That's what Paul's parents got each year when he was growing up (they now use an artificial tree), and most of our marriage we've lived very close to Christmas tree farms. In our present house, we can see a Christmas tree farm if we look out our front door or the windows on that side of the house. Last year we had trouble disposing of our tree. The company who picks up our garbage once a week said they'd pick up the tree at no charge, but it just sat out there week after week. Paul eventually cut it into little pieces and put it in our garbage bags over the course of several weeks. We used to take our tree to a lawn & garden store where it was turned into mulch, and they would give us a $10 gift certificate to use in the store for recycling our tree. I had been thinking that this year it would be better to have an artificial tree because I imagine the bottom half of our tree will be redecorated daily over the next few weeks by Miss Nadia. I thought that would create quite a mess with pine needles if we had a real tree. I wasn't sure if Paul would agree since he really likes having a real tree, but he surprised me by agreeing to get an artificial tree with the understanding that once the kids are older we'll go back to getting a real tree each year. Ideally we would have purchased an artificial tree last January when everything was on sale, but at that point he didn't agree with me about buying one. Today we are going to Walmart and buying a tree. I think I found one that's both reasonably priced (under $100) and also will look really nice. The first few that I saw that I liked were much more expensive. I was relieved when I found this one online. I think we'll decorate it tonight after Nadia goes to bed. I can't wait to see her expression when she sees it the first time!As I type this, we're getting our first snow of the season. It looks "Christmasy" outside!

Nadia's vocabulary has exploded over the past ten days or so. She says several new words a day. I can't remember all of them, but here is a partial list of her current vocabulary. Two words that I understand that she doesn't say totally correctly yet are "thank you" and "Nadia." She doesn't always say her name the same way although it always only has 2 syllables. Sometimes it's Nade and other times Nada. Here are some words that she can say very clearly and uses correctly (such as she'll point to the object and say the word in a picture book). She also has started to use the plural form of nouns. If she sees a picture of more than one ball she will say "balls."

• food related: lunch, dinner, cookie, apple, pretzel, ice (cream), water, cracker, hot, bagel, cheese, bottle, hotdog, pizza, yummy
• nature related: star, moon, kitty, doggie, tiger, turtle
• animal sounds: moo, baa baa, buzz, ruff ruff, meow, roar
• greetings: hi, hello, bye bye, night night
• body parts: eye, elbow, knee, toes
• names: Daddy, Mommy, Grandma, Grandpa, PopPop, Lane, Abbey, Bob (the tomato)
• miscellaneous: ball, sticker, book, yes, no, uh oh, ah choo, all done, tickle, pop, up, down, push, draw, baby, wet, grass, out, house, wall, diaper, yucky, hat, shoes, tissue

A bit of panic

I also went into a bit of a panic on Wednesday regarding my lack of preparedness for Ian's arrival. A few weeks ago I did purchase some size 1 diapers, a couple of months ago someone at MOPS gave me some preemie diapers (hoping not to need them), and on Thanksgiving our niece gave me some newborn size diapers that she didn't use with QJ (from the diaper cake at her baby shower). I also am sure I have at least have a few onesies and 0-3 month size sleepers for him (gender neutral ones that Nadia also used). Beyond that I am not quite certain what I have. I had planned to go shopping after Christmas for whatever clothes I might need for him. I don't know if I even have a "going home" outfit for him yet, and I definitely don't have a coat or any kind of outerwear for him yet. His room also hasn't been set up at all. It still contains twin bunk beds instead of a crib, none of the wall decorations have been hung, the walls haven't been painted, curtains haven't been hung, etc. It's not that I haven't been thinking about Ian! For example, I recently found a Bumbo + tray on Craigslist that was going for less than what just a Bumbo goes for on eBay, and Paul's brother was able to pick it up for us this week as the family selling it lives in the same town that they do.

I am hoping Paul will be able to paint his room in the near future. Two big projects that he's been working on will come to an end very soon as one paper is due today and his thesis must be totally completed and printed on special paper by Tuesday. I had planned to wait on buying a crib mattress in case someone gave it to us as a Christmas gift, but maybe we should get one much sooner than that in case Ian doesn't wait until Christmas to be born. I have new crib sheets for him, but they don't do much good without a mattress, LOL! Yesterday I put his lamp in his bedroom and assembled his mobile. Again, I think a mattress is more important than a mobile, but it felt good to accomplish something in terms of getting his room ready.

As for stocking up the freezer, I made one baby step in that direction. Last time I cooked all the meals that I put in the freezer to use after Nadia was born. This time I am "cheating" for at least some of the preparations as I got a really good deal through Schwan's. Today they are to be delivering eight 16 oz trays of lasagna plus one 2lb bag of stuffed shells for $26.97 total. I thought that was a very good deal as that should turn into several meals for Paul, Nadia, and I. The three of us all like pasta. I don't think I could have bought the ingredients for that price. Once school is done hopefully I'll do some cooking in preparation for his arrival.

Yesterday was a MUCH better day than Wednesday. Nadia took two naps that totaled 3hr 45m, and this meant that although she still wasn't her usual self, she didn't cry nearly as much as she did on Wednesday. Her appetite was much better, and her cough is also starting to improve. We have been putting baby rub on her chest, back, and feet and using the humidifier while she sleeps. Last night I went to bed before Nadia did and since she slept until 6:30 (PTL!), I got almost 12 hours of sleep last night. I feel soooo much better today. I had only gotten about 2 1/2 hours of sleep over the previous 24 hours. Paul is at school, but I have promised him to stay home today. I'll wait to do the grocery shopping tomorrow when Nadia can stay home with him. This means I should only have to pick her up 3 times today since he put her down for her morning nap before he left. I won't use the highchair for feeding her today.

Trip to L&D Triage

Yesterday afternoon I discovered some discharge with blood in it. It looked very similar to what I thought was "bloody show" the morning of June 23, 2008. My water broke about 12 hours later that day. I called the OB office, and the nurse said she'd send an urgent message to my OB. She said she'd call me back shortly. They never called back, and so I continued about my day as usual. After getting back from choir rehearsal I was folding some laundry when I started having some really fierce contractions. Paul insisted that I call the hospital, and the doctor I spoke with said I should come in for an evaluation. I called one of our neighbors, and she said her daughter could come over and stay in our house until Paul's parents arrived. It was really easy babysitting since Nadia slept the whole time, but we were grateful not to have to wake her up and take her with us. Paul's parents arrived at our house about an hour after Alexis did (at about 11pm).

Paul & I arrived at the hospital at about 10:30pm. The exam revealed that I had dilated an additional cm since Monday morning (2cm). They hooked me up to monitors, and when the monitor showed I was having contractions, I was put on an IV in the hopes that maybe more fluids would stop the contractions. The contractions actually got worse over time so they gave me a shot to calm the uterus. The contractions didn't completely stop, but they lessened quite a bit in frequency and intensity after the shot. The nurse warned that the shot might make my heart race. My heart didn't race, but my entire body was shaking for a few minutes. Even though the room was very warm (Paul kept complaining about how hot he was), I suddenly was chilled. He laid both our coats on top of me. At about 1:30am we got the results of the tests that had been run. The good news was that I got a negative result from the test that is supposed to indicate the liklihood that you will go into labor over the next 2 weeks. The test of course isn't 100% accurate, but he said it is fairly reliable. It can only be done prior to 34 weeks. If I had received a positive result from that test, he would have given me a steroid shot to speed up Ian's lung and brain development. Other tests showed that I had a yeast infection and another bacterial infection. I was given pills for both of these, and I need to head to the pharmacy to fill a prescription this morning. The doctor hopes that these infections are what were causing the contractions and dilation. On a positive note, they were very happy with my blood sugar level while I was there (90).

I am very grateful to be back home, and I am very grateful that Paul's parents were willing to stay at our house so Nadia could sleep. They didn't get home until 3:30am. Nadia had gotten up at 4:40am on Wednesday morning, so I was up for 23 hours straight since I didn't fall asleep until 3:30 last night. Paul fell asleep about 2:30am, but contractions, Ian kicking like crazy, and restless leg syndrome (which I've had for most of both pregnancies) kept me up for another hour. Nadia woke up at 5:30 this morning; so I got a grand total of 2 hours of sleep last night. I am not supposed to lift anything over 10 lbs over the next week; since Nadia weighs 25lbs that means I need to lift her as little as possible. Thankfully, Paul was able to stay home with me today. He'll be lifting her in and out of the crib and such today. The doctor said that 34 weeks is much better than 33 weeks so I am to take it easy over the next week in the hopes I'll make it at least that far. He said if I make it to 35 weeks that most babies born at that stage don't need to go to the NICU. He said I can teach if I'm not having any contractions that day. I have had some more contractions and bleeding this morning; so next on my list is to call and find a substitute to cover my class this evening. I'd appreciate prayers that Ian will not make his grand entrance for at least another week or two. Thanks!

Charlie Horses

I don't recall having these leg cramps when I was pregnant with Nadia, but I've had them throughout this pregnancy. For awhile I was getting them at night in both legs, but the last couple of months I've only been getting them in my right leg. In the last week or so they have become super duper painful. The one I had this morning was the worst yet. In fact I've been up for over an hour and the muscle still hasn't totally relaxed. I thought someone had put a knife in my calf this morning. I am grateful to know they'll go away after I have Ian (along with the heartburn and such), but I would welcome any suggestions for how to make the next few weeks more bearable in terms of my right leg cramping up at night.

Yesterday I ran into a graduate student I had in a class last spring, and he said I looked like I was "ready to pop." That's exactly how I feel. Every time I see my outie belly button I keep thinking of that little red button that pops out of some turkeys to let you know when it's fully cooked. I feel like our little turkey is ready to come out of the oven, but the truth is at 33 weeks it would be better if he stayed in the "oven" a few more weeks.

Nadia woke up at 4:45am due to a coughing/gagging fit and unfortunately never went back to sleep. Yesterday a colleague, who has 3 kids under the age of 5, suggested using some Vick's rub. I think I'll buy some today. All we've done so far is put a warm air humidifier in her room and give her Tylenol when she's particularly fussy. I know they don't like to give kids under 2 cough medicine. I am open to any other suggestions as to how to help her get over this bad cough. We three need more sleep than we're getting these days although she has been taking nice long naps.

One of my favorite new words that she said yesterday was "tickle." Words just sound so sweet coming out of the mouth of a 17 month old. She cracked me up this morning. When she was using a spoon to feed her bear, I asked her what she was feeding him, and she said "apple." I'm glad she is feeding her bear something healthy. Some of the other food words she says aren't nearly as healthy such as "cookie" and "ice" (cream).

Temporary Outie

At birth, Nadia's belly button was an "outie," but over a period of a few months it changed to an "innie." While I was pregnant with Nadia, my belly button was stretched very thin by the end, but it never popped out. This is additional proof that my belly is bigger this time around. My belly button popped out several days ago. I know it's a temporary condition. I didn't have any of those ugly red stretch marks last time, but I fear I won't be able to escape them this time around. I am trying to use the almond oil more frequently in case it will help. I am grateful that the contractions have stopped for now. Yesterday and today have been much better days than Friday through Sunday were. In terms of my cold, I'm also doing better each day. As for my blood sugar, of the last 18 readings (Friday morning through this morning) only one was a little high. I'm happy that 17 of them were where they're supposed to be.

Nadia still has a bad cough. She had quite a few bad coughing spells around 1:30am that kept Paul and I awake for quite awhile, but thankfully this time she didn't cry even though she was coughing and gagging. Unfortunately she woke up at 5:00am, and I just couldn't let her cry it out knowing she isn't feeling well. Paul was up working on a presentation (that he's giving right now as I type this post) so I put her on his side of the bed and although she didn't fall back asleep, at least we were both able to rest in bed until 5:50. She was very fussy this morning; I attribute that to her not getting enough sleep last night.

Today I finished grading the language arts units. I always enjoy crossing things off my to do list, but when it's something that takes many, many hours to accomplish it's an even better feeling to know I'm done with that project. I still have 10 different assignments/quizzes/exams to grade over the next 3 weeks, but none of them will be as time consuming as the units. Speaking of grading, that's really what I should be doing right now while Nadia is napping. I think I'll put on some Christmas music to make the experience more enjoyable. :-)